The proposal describes an application to establish a Research Center on Oral Health in Aging at The University of Iowa consisting of five research projects supported by three cores. The overall goal of the Center is to provide an appropriate intellectual and physical environment to support outstanding basic research that will provide a foundation for approaching significant problems of oral health in aging. The focus of the research will be to increase understanding of oral mucosal disease in the elderly, which will be accomplished by a cohesive series of four interdisciplinary projects: Project 1 Oral Mucosal Lesions Among the Elderly Project 3 Candidal Virulence and Human Aging Project 4 Human Papilloma Virus and the Etiology of Oral Cancer Project 5 Role of Antioxidant Enzymes in Oral Cancer The projects will be supported by two cores; The Experimental Design and Biostatistics Core will interface with all projects and assist in experimental design, data entry, and statistical analysis. The Tissue Cultural Core will offer facilities, expertise, and technical support for investigators working with in vitro models involving cells and tissue in culture. Overall, the Center will support a program of research aimed at diseases of fundamental importance in the oral health of the elderly so as to offer approaches to therapy and eventually prevention.